The Thing About the Truth
by Avril Lambert
Summary: Principal Rourke looks back and forth between Jim and Meg. "Mr. Hawkins, we have one young man in the hospital and one that is being detained. This all seems to come down to the two of you; but mostly you, Jim. So, please explain to me what happened." Jim straightens up in his seat. "Principal Rourke, I think in order for this to all make sense, we need to go back a couple months."
1. Chapter 1

**NOW:**

Jim Hawkins shifts uncomfortably in the plastic chair. His stepsister, Meg Korso, is sitting a couple chairs down from him. He doesn't look at her, though he can tell she's trying figure out a way to say something to him. He has no interest in hearing what she has to say to him. Nothing she can say would make things better.

Out of the corner of his eye he sees her lean forward and rest her elbows on her knees. She sighs and starts picking at the hole in her jeans. Part of Jim feels bad that's she here in the first place; this is definitely his fault. Well, partially his fault. He didn't start it, but she wouldn't be here if wasn't for him. Still, he'd be lying if he said seeing what happened to her hadn't given him some satisfaction.

Jim steals a glance at Meg. A small pile of blue thread has gathered on the floor by her foot from her picking nervously at her jeans. She's wearing a black t-shirt knotted just above the waist of her jeans, showing off her thin stomach; the collar of the shirt had been cut off, so part of it drapes off her shoulder, revealing her red bra strap. Her dark brown hair is hanging loosely over her shoulders. When she brushes her hair back, Jim catches a glimpse of her black eye. He smiles to himself. Yeah, she definitely deserved that.

Meg looks over at him. His smile fades and he drops his eyes. She swivels her body so she's facing him. "Jim, will you please talk to me?" her voice is hushed.

They're sitting outside of the principal's office and Principal Rourke is a hard ass. If he heard her talking, it would only get them in more trouble.

Jim shakes his head. "I have nothing to say to you."

"Then just listen. I know I-"

Jim turned sharply towards her. "You fucked up, Meg!" he hissed. "You knew what you were doing, you knew it would hurt me, and you did it anyway."

"Jim, that's not true."

Jim leaned back in his chair, resting his head against the white-painted brick wall. He closes his eyes. "Just shut up, Meg."

Meg stares hard at her stepbrother. They grew up together. His dad left while his mom was still pregnant. A year after he was born, his mom met Meg's dad. Meg is the same age as Jim and remembers nothing about that time. Her older brother, Sinbad, was four at the time. Six months after meeting, their parents got married. They were, for all intents and purposes, a family. Never once had Jim or Meg referred to each other has stepbrother or stepsister. Jim was her brother and they have always been close. Never once in their eighteen years had Jim ever talked her like he was now. Meg deserves it, she know she does. But, it still hurts.

Meg gets up and sits down next to Jim. She gently takes his face in her hands and forces him to look at her. His face is cut up and bruised and there's dried blood on his bottom lip from a cut. There's a crescent shaped bruise under his eye. The sight of his face makes her angry and breaks her heart.

"Jim, I _am _sorry. I never wanted to hurt you."

Jim shoves her hands away from him. "But you did."

"I know I did. I'm a horrible sister." Meg wraps her arms around herself. "I don't know why I did it. I mean, I know _why_ I did it; but I don't know why I did it to _you_."

"I don't want to talk about this right now."

"I want to make this right, Jim."

Jim glares at her. "You can't."

"Let me try."

Jim leans towards her and lowers his voice so Principal Rourke won't hear him from the other side of his office door. "Do you have any fucking idea how bad I feel right now? Do you understand what I'm going through? Do you even care?" He slowly shakes his head. "Of course you don't. Because even after all this, the only thing you care about is clearing your guilty conscious."

Meg can't help staring at her brother in shock. "How can you say that? Of course I care; you're my brother and I love you."

Jim snorts in derision. "You have a funny way of showing it."

Meg opens her mouth to say something, but the door opens and Principal Rourke steps out. He stares them down before addressing them. "Mr. Hawkins, Miss Korso; come into my office."

Jim and Meg stand up and walk into the office. Principal Rourke closes the door behind them, then sits down at his desk. Jim and Meg take their seats in the chairs in front of his desk. Principal Rourke folds his hands on his desk and leans forward.

"I'm assuming the two of you know why you're here," he says. Meg and Jim both nod. "Good. Then let's get right to it." He turns his attention to Jim. "Mr. Hawkins, what happened today?"

Jim's careful not to look at Meg, but he can feel her eyes on him. She's not really in any danger of getting in trouble. She's more of a witness to what happened; though it's no secret Principal Rourke doesn't really hold her in high regard.

Principal Rourke looks back and forth between Jim and Meg. "Mr. Hawkins, we have one young man in the hospital and one that is being detained. This all seems to come down to the two of you; but mostly you, Jim. So, please explain to me what happened."

Now Jim looks at Meg. She's nervously picking at the hole in her jeans again and nibbling on her lower lip. It did come down to the two of them; but neither of them started it.

Jim clears his throat and straightens up in his seat. "Principal Rourke, I think in order for this to all make sense, we need to go back a couple months…"


	2. Chapter 2

_Sorry about the time gap between updates..._

* * *

**THEN: October, three months ago**

**JIM…  
**My face burned with an embarrassed blush as I walked down the school hallway. Word had gotten out. I was out. I don't know who forced me out, but it didn't matter. Getting mad at them wouldn't stop people from staring and whispering about me as I walked passed them.

"Hey, Hawkins!" one of the Stabbington brothers called out. "What happened to your eye?"

His twin brother chuckled. "His boyfriend must have given it to him. I guess you like it rough, eh, Hawkins?"

The first brother laughed. "Maybe next time you'll take it like a man." Both brothers were laughing out loud now and a couple other people were snickering as well. "No one bend over in front of Hawkins, or you'll have to take it like a man, too."

I lowered my head and kept walking as everyone around me started laughing. When I turned the corner to the senior hallway, I saw my best friend, Jack Frost at his locker. I hurried over to him.

"Hey, man," I greeted.

Jack looked at me with a strange expression. "Oh. Hey, Jim."

"Is everything all right?" I asked.

Jack nodded and closed his locker. "Yeah. I just, um… I gotta go. To class." Without another word, he headed down the hallway.

I sighed and leaned back against the lockers. That encounter was worse than the one with the Stabbington brothers. Why was Jack acting so weird around me?

"Hi, Jim," my friend, Rapunzel greeted.

"Hey, Rapunzel."

"Are you okay?"

I pushed myself off the locker. "I'm fine."

Rapunzel gently seized my arm. "No, you're not."

I yanked my arm free. "I don't want to talk about it. Just leave me alone."

I started to walk away, but Rapunzel blocked my path. "Don't push me away."

"Look, Rapunzel; I had a rough night and this morning hasn't been any better. You wouldn't understand."

Rapunzel didn't budge. "Did you get that black eye last night or this morning?"

I glared at her. "That's none of your business. So, just fuck off."

Rapunzel pushed me against the lockers by the shoulder. She leaned in so she was only a couple inches from my face and narrowed her green eyes at me. "Jim Hawkins, don't you dare take this out on me. I didn't do anything."

I glared back at her. "Well, somebody did."

Rapunzel gave my shoulder a hard shove before letting me go. "Well, it wasn't me. I just found out this morning. I'm one of your best friends and I had to find out in a mass text from one of the Bimbettes."

I groaned and leaned my head back. "Of course." The Bimbettes were, for all intents and purposes, the school sluts. Their main focus was my stepsister's boyfriend, Gaston. There were three of them and none of them had ever been with Gaston. But, they followed him around everywhere and were always at his beckon call.

Last night I finally came out to my family. I had known I was gay for a while and I was tired of hiding it. My mother was shocked, and didn't say anything to me the rest of the night. My stepdad, Meg's dad, was a lot more vocal. Normally he and I had a great relationship. But last night it was like his Mr. Hyde came out. He shouted and threw things and then culminated it all by hitting me.

It stunned all of us into silence.

He didn't apologize, though. He just shook his head and said, "You're tearing apart this family."

Meg had been there last night and was pretty shaken up by seeing that side of her dad. No doubt she went to Gaston and confided in him. He must have told one of the Bimbettes about me and then she told everyone else.

"Jim?" Rapunzel's voice brought me back.

"Yeah?"

"What happened to your eye?"

I lowered my head so my hair would fall over my eyes and conceal the bruise. "Joe hit me."

Rapunzel's eyes grew wide. "Your stepdad? But, I thought you guys were close."

"We were," I said. "Until I came out."

"Oh, Jim! I'm so sorry!" Rapunzel hugged me, but I shrugged her off.

"I don't need your pity!" I snapped.

Rapunzel put her hand on her hip. "God, Jim! What is your problem?"

"I just want to be left alone." I pushed passed her and this time she didn't stop me. I knew I was being a jerk, but I just couldn't handle being around anyone right then.

Of course, it was then that Meg found me.

"Jim!" Meg called, running up to me. She fell into step beside me and we continued my path down the hall. "Jim, I'm so sorry. I didn't-"

"You didn't, what, Meg?" I snapped. "You didn't mean to out me to your boyfriend?"

"No. I didn't know he'd tell anyone. He said he wouldn't."

"You had no right to tell him in the first place."

"I know. But, I was upset about what happened and I need someone to turn to."

I stopped walking and looked at my stepsister. Normally I referred to Meg as my sister, but after last night it was hard to imagine us being that close. "What about me, Meg?" I demanded. "I was the one your father hit last night; don't you think _I _needed someone last night? No, you probably didn't even think about what I was going through."

"Don't even go there, Jim. We both know if I had reached out to you last night you would have snapped at me and pushed me away."

"I needed someone on my side last night!" I didn't mean to start yelling at her, but it was like I had lost control of my own voice. "Your dad is the closest thing I've ever had to a father and he gave me a black eye because I told him I was gay. My own mother didn't even stand up for me. I needed you last night but you were too busy trying to make yourself feel better."

"Jim, it wasn't like that."

"Whatever."

"It wasn't," she insisted.

"Meg, I want you to leave me alone," I said, walking away from her.

"Jim, wait!" Meg called out.

I ignored her and didn't turn back. I had thought it didn't matter who outed me to the school, but knowing it was my sister stung more than I expected.


	3. Chapter 3

**THEN: October, three months ago**

**JIM…**  
How could she do this to me? Wasn't what I had to go through last night bad enough? If the man who has always been a father to me would turn on me, how could she think everyone else wouldn't react the same way? Especially Gaston; he's not exactly stable and he's been known to get into his share of fights at school.

"Don't be mad at me, Jim."

I rolled my eyes as Meg caught up to me. "And why not?"

"I know I shouldn't have told Gaston and I know I should have been there for you last night. If I could go back in time, I would change everything- and probably tie my dad to a chair before you came out. But, I can't do that. I made a mistake and I'm sorry." Meg grabbed my shirt sleeve and pulled me to a stop. "Jim, you can't be mad at me forever. We both know you're gonna forgive me eventually, so just do it now and let's move on. 'Cause the longer you're mad at me, the longer you're gonna have one less person in your corner during all this."

I pulled my arm out of her grasp. "There wouldn't be an 'all this' if you had been in my corner in the first place."

"I said I'm sorry," Meg groaned. "But, be honest; if I had tried to comfort you last night, would you have let me or would you have told me to go away?"

I opened my mouth to respond and she raised her eyebrow expectantly. I sighed in defeat. "I would have told you to go away."

"Exactly."

"But, you're my stepsister, you're supposed to-"

"Fuck you, Jim Hawkins. Don't you talk to me like that! I am your _sister_. _Step_sister is a derogatory word and you _will not_ ever call me that again, do you understand?"

I hadn't meant to offend Meg, but I could tell she was pissed; as in one more wrong move and she'd blacken my other eye. "I'm sorry," I told her. "I guess now we're even."

"You're not mad at me anymore?"

"No. But, in the future, if we're ever in this situation again; be there for me even when you know I'm gonna tell you to go away."

"I promise. Unless you call me that awful word again; then I will personally kick your ass." The bell rang out loudly through the hall, signaling that we were both late to class. "Do you wanna ditch first period?" Meg asked me.

"I like the way you think, Korso," I replied. "But, instead, let's ditch all of our classes; I'm just not in the mood today."

Meg and I were no strangers to ditching school. By now, we knew Principal Rourke's morning schedule and knew he'd be in his office, so our best bet would be to sneak out the exit near the sophomore wing. We walked right out of the school like it was exactly what we were supposed to be doing right then. No one came after us, no one even noticed we were gone.

Right from the start, Meg and I were best friends. Sinbad is five years older than us, which is a big enough age gap for him and me to not have anything in common and thus not having a very close relationship. But, Meg is the same age as me and we grew up doing everything together. When we were really young, Meg went through a princess phase and she'd always have me pretend I'm a knight that had to slay the dragon to save her. I didn't mind, but there were only so many times I could stab her stuffed dragon with a foam sword and rescue her from the dungeon made out of blankets and pillows before I got bored.

Fortunately, as we got older, Meg became more of tomboy. We'd climb trees together, have races, play tag football and go to the park to play baseball. We were a great team, too. All of the neighborhood kids would join us and we were always on the same team. We always won. The other kids used to call us the Kor-Hawks- a combination of our last names. It was a nickname that Meg always liked, though part of her wished I would change my last name so it would be Korso like everyone else in the family.

She told me this one day when we were in grade school. About a mile from our house is a cornfield that Meg and I deemed our secret spot. We'd walk there whenever we wanted to be alone together and we'd sit in the middle of the field and talk about whatever came to our minds or watch the clouds; on summer nights we'd catch fireflies. On this particular day, we were reading _Bridge to Terabithia_ for class and we were taking turns reading out loud to each other. I don't remember exactly what part of the book we were reading that day, but it sparked a conversation about my dad and she told me she wanted me to have her last name instead of his.

"I don't think I can change my last name," I told her.

Meg picked up a dried corn leaf and twirled it between her fingers. "Would you change it if you could?"

I remember thinking about the relationship Jess had with his dad and being glad I didn't have that kind of relationship with my stepdad; but I was also curious about the relationship I would have had with my dad if he had stuck around. "Ask me that again after I meet my dad," I replied.

Meg started tracing designs in the dirt with the leaf. "Are you still my brother if we have different last names?"

I nodded. "I think so."

She smiled at me. "I'm glad. 'Cause we're best friends, right?"

"Right."

"Like Jess and Leslie?"

"Like Jess and Leslie," I said. "And this cornfield is our Terabithia."

It's been a couple years since we've been to the cornfield and I never did meet my dad. But, this was what I was thinking about when I got into the beat up car Meg got as a hand me down from Sinbad.

"Where to?" Meg asked, shoving the car into gear.

"The cornfield?" I suggested.

Meg smiled as she sped out of the parking lot. "I haven't thought about that place in forever. We should definitely go there." She cranked the mix CD Gaston gave her (that she's been listening to on repeat) so it drowned out her road rage.

When we finally got back to our neighborhood, Meg parked near the cornfield so our parents wouldn't see her car, then she grabbed her backpack out of the backseat and we started walking through the cornfield. Once we reached the middle of the cornfield, we sat down on the dirt. Meg rifled through her backpack and pulled out a sandwich bag full of cinnamon Teddy Grahams.

"What made you want to come here?" Meg offered me the bag.

I took a couple. "Do you remember that day we came out here to read _Bridge to Terabithia_ and you asked me about changing my last name?"

"Yeah."

"I've been thinking about that day since last night."

Meg set a Teddy Graham on her nose and tried balancing it. "Why's that?"

I looked down at the Teddy Graham in my hand. It was missing a leg. "Well, last night I couldn't help thinking how glad I was that I never took your dad's last name. And then I start thinking about _my _dad."

Meg tilted her head so the Teddy Graham on her nose fell into her mouth, then she looked at me. "Your dad? I can't even remember the last time you mentioned him."

"I haven't thought about him much before last night. But, now I find myself wondering how he'd react if I told him I was gay."

Meg furrowed her brow as she thought about that. "Considering your dad left you guys, I bet he wouldn't say you're tearing the family apart." She paused. "It's not true what my dad said, ya know. I don't want you to think that you being gay is going to tear us apart." She started picking at a small tear in her jeans. "I don't know what got into my dad last night. I've never seen him like that before. And I'm sorry he acted like that towards you. But, I'm sure he'll be different tonight. I mean… he just doesn't hit people. That's not like him. Something else must have been going on with him last night and you just set him off or something. You'll see: he'll apologize."

"And if he doesn't?"

Meg sighed. "I don't know." She looked up at me. "I hope what my father did doesn't affect our relationship, Jim. I mean, that's not why you called me your stepsister, is it?"

"Stop worrying so much; you're not your dad."

"Good. 'Cause you'll always be my best friend." Meg dug through her backpack. She found what she was looking for then dropped it into my lap. I picked up the tattered copy of _Bridge to Terabithia_. "Like Jess and Leslie," she said, tapping the cover with her finger. "This is the copy we were reading that day."

"You stole it from the school?"

Meg nodded. "I told them I lost it and dad had to pay for it; I just couldn't part with it."

I opened the book to a random page in the first chapter and read it out loud, "_Even his dad would be proud. Jess rounded the corner. He couldn't keep going quite so fast, but he continued running for a while- it would build him up. May Belle would tell Daddy, so it wouldn't look like he, Jess, was a bragger. Maybe Dad would be so proud he'd forget all about how tired he was from the long drive back and forth to Washington and the digging and hauling all day. He would get right down on the floor and wrestle, the way they used to. Old Dad would be surprised at how strong he'd gotten in the last couple years."_ I closed the book and handed it back to Meg.

Meg looked down at the book before putting it back in her backpack. "Do you ever think about finding your dad and finally meeting him?"

"Is this about you wanting me to change my last name?" I snatched another Teddy Graham out of her bag and popped it into my mouth.

"A little. But, I also can't help wondering if gaining your father's approval is important to you. Ya know, like Jess."

"I never met him; why would getting his approval be important to me?"

Meg leaned back on her hands and looked up at the sky. "Well, for one, he's still your dad. And, two, after the man who raised you completely rejected you, it would make sense that you'd be seeking some sort of solace and acceptance from a father-like figure."

I arched an eyebrow at her. "When did you become a shrink?"

Meg laughed and shook her head. "I'm not _shrinking_ you, Jim. I'm curious, is all. Typically in situations like this, people who are rejected by their dad tend to try to find a replacement. Like, in a mentor or something." She scrunched up her nose. "Or maybe you'll just try to fill the void by sleeping around with a bunch of guys."

"Shut up, Meg."

Meg playfully shoved me. "I just want you to be happy again, Jim."


	4. Chapter 4

**THEN: October, three months ago**

**MEG…**  
My dad didn't come home that night. I'll admit I was relieved. I honestly had no idea what would have been in store for Jim that night if he had been there. Though, looking back, perhaps yelling and hitting would have been better than what did happen.

Jim and I got home before Sarah did. Jim hid out in his room; pretending to do homework, but most likely playing video games. Not that Jim played video games a lot- it was more of a release for him than a lifestyle like with most teenage boys. Anyway, while Jim was in his room, I slipped out to the backyard to call Gaston.

The phone rang several times before he finally answered, which only fueled my frustration with him. "Hey, babe," he greeted. "Where were you today?"

I ignored his question. "How could you do this to Jim?" I hissed. "You promised you weren't going to tell anyone."

"I didn't tell anyone anything."

"Bullshit!" I started pacing around the yard. "You're the only one who knew and one of the Bimbettes sent out the mass text to the whole school."

Gaston didn't say anything for a few moments. I looked up at Jim's window; the blinds were closed, they always were. When he was in his room, it was like he was always trying to shut out the world. I didn't blame him.

"Meg," Gaston finally said. "I didn't tell anyone about your brother. But, if you insist on provoking a fight, I'm coming over. We're not doing this over the phone." Just like that he hung up.

Gaston was definitely not passive and never shied away from confrontation. If he was going to be involved in any sort of fight, he preferred it to be in person. The way he saw it: doing it in person gave everyone involved a chance to put it all out there and do whatever it was they needed to do in order to move passed the issue. If that meant a physical fight, so be it. That was the way he liked it, anyway. Gaston and I had never gotten into any physical fights; actually we never really got into any fights. But, that day I had a strong desire to hit him for what he did to my brother. And, truth be told, part of me felt like I deserved for him to hit me back since we wouldn't have been in this situation if I had just kept my mouth shut in the first place.

Jim was still in his room when Gaston arrived. I didn't want a scene in the front yard for Sarah's sake, so I took Gaston up to my room and closed the door. He took off his leather jacket and tossed it on my bed. "Meg, have I ever broken a promise to you?"

I crossed my arms over my chest. "Before now, no. Which is why I-"

Gaston held his hand up to stop me. "And have I ever given you reason not to trust me?"

"Well, no. But-"

"And have I ever betrayed you?"

I sighed. "No."

"No. So, why would you think I did this?"

"Because it all adds up to you. I told you last night and then it just so happens that one of your groupies outs Jim to everyone this morning. Who else could have told her?"

"I don't know. But, it wasn't me." Gaston stepped closer to me. "I have no reason to lie to you. Believe me, don't believe me; that's your call. So, do whatever it is you need to do to me to make yourself feel better and let's move on. I'm not going to continue to defend myself against something I didn't do."

I contemplated punching Gaston right in his handsome face. I mean, I _really_ wanted to. Then, I thought about what Jim said to me at school that morning and how angry and hurt he had been. And how he called me his stepsister because he thought I betrayed him. I did, I know I did.

I didn't hit Gaston. Whether or not Gaston told anyone didn't matter; this was on me. I could put all the blame on Gaston and in the end he'd let me; but I'd only be doing it to make myself feel better and trying to make myself feel better was exactly what created this mess in the first place. I'm a rat. A line from one of Sarah's favorite movies, _Grease_, popped into my head just then. I'm the amoebas on fleas on rats. Too low for even the dog to bite.

"I'm sorry I accused you, Gaston. All of this is my fault."

Gaston grabbed my belt loop and pulled me towards him. "So, you concede?"

"I do. You win this time."

Gaston started to lean in for a kiss, but stopped when we heard the front door slam shut. I froze and held my breath, waiting to hear if it was my dad.

"I'm home!" Sarah called out. I exhaled in relief. "Jim! Meg! I brought home dinner, come on down here."

Gaston and I came out of my room at the same time as Jim came out of his. The three of us headed downstairs together. Sarah was standing by the front door, balancing a pizza box in one hand, while trying to remove her coat. A few bags of groceries were on the floor by her feet. When she saw Gaston, she frowned.

"Meg, you know the rule: no boys in your room."

"I wasn't here to see Meg," Gaston said. "It's time for the truth to come out, Mama Korso; Meg was my cover. It's Jim that I've actually been dating. I was in Jim's room just now."

Sarah's face went completely pale. Her bottom lip quivered as if she wanted to say something, but no words came out. She dropped her eyes and busied herself by picking up the grocery bags.

I furrowed my brows. "He's _kidding_, Sarah. He was with me."

Sarah still didn't look at us. "Why don't you guys set the table while I put the groceries away…"

Gaston was quick to help carry the bags into the kitchen, but Jim hung back. "Did you see the way she reacted to that?" he asked, quietly.

I bit my lip. "Yeah, I did."

Jim shook his head and sat down on the stairs. "I think she feels the same way your dad does, but just won't come out and say it."

"Jim, that's not true. She just doesn't know to handle all of this. She needs time to get used it."

Gaston appeared in the kitchen doorway with a slice of pizza in his hand. "You guys comin'?"

Jim and I went into the kitchen. Sarah was sitting at the table, pouring some parmesan cheese on her pizza. She didn't look up when we sat down. I ran through a list of conversation topics in my head to try and make this dinner less awkward, but all of them failed me.

After a few minutes of super uncomfortable silence, Sarah cleared her throat. "So, how was school today?"

Jim and I glanced at each other from across the table. "Fine," we said in unison.

Sarah finally looked at us. "Was it? Because I got a call from your principal and he said that neither of you went to any of your classes today. I told him you were both sick and I forgot to call and let him know you weren't coming to avoid you guys getting detention again. Tell me what really happened."

"Nothing happened," Jim told her. "I didn't want to go to school today and I forced Meg to ditch with me so I wouldn't have to ditch alone."

Sarah fixed her eyes on Jim. "I see. And why didn't you want to go to school today?"

"You're kidding, right?" I asked. "You _know_ what he went through last night."

Sarah cast a sideways glance at Gaston.

"He knows, too," I told her. "Everyone at school knows. One of the girls in our class found out about Jim and told everyone. He was being harassed at school this morning and just didn't want to deal with that after what happened with my dad last night."

Sarah straightened up on her seat. "What happened last night was… regrettable. But, it's no excuse, Jim."

Now it was Jim's turn to get angry. "Regrettable? Your husband hit me and you just sat there.

"Jim-"

Jim slammed his hands on the table and stood up. "No! How could you let him do that? How could both of you do _nothing_? He's _your_ husband. And _your_ father." Jim turned on me and I could feel the daggers from his eyes cut right through me.

"He's your father, too," Sarah said. "Maybe not by blood, but he raised you and he's always taken care of this family. And then for you to drop that bomb on us and provoke him the way you did. How could you do that to us? This family has enough to deal with. You can't blame Joseph for what _you_ brought upon this family." Her tone was so angry that none of dared to say anything to interrupt her. But, I wish I had. Sarah looked right into Jim's eyes and said, "Why can't you just be normal?"

Jim stormed out of the kitchen and was out the front door in a flash. I jumped at the sound of the door slamming. The breath left my body and my heart was hammering in my chest. There were a million things I wanted to say to my stepmom, but my energy was needed elsewhere. I got up from the table without a word and went after Jim. I was just in time to see him kick Sarah's car tire with a loud, frustrated grunt.

"Jim?"

He either ignored me or didn't hear me. He flung open the driver's door and pushed the button to open the trunk. I made my way towards the car as he leaned into the trunk to get whatever he was looking for. With a thud, he closed the trunk and rounded to the side of the car with a tire iron.

I ran the rest of the way to the car and placed myself between Jim and the car window just as he swung the tire iron. It connected hard with my shoulder.

"Shit!" I hissed through my teeth. "Damn, that hurt." I clutched my shoulder.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Jim snapped.

"I was just trying to stop you from getting into even more trouble by doing something stupid."

Jim narrowed his eyes at me. "I'm not going to apologize for this."

"You don't have to. God knows I deserve worse."

Jim tossed the tire iron into the grass. "Yeah, you do. You didn't have my back _again_ tonight, Meg."

"What do you want me to do, Jim? Start a fight with your mom?" I demanded. "I tried to stand up for you, but then you turned on me, too."

Jim turned away from me and ran his hands through hair. "She's right, though. Why can't I be normal? Why do I have to be this… _freak_?"

I kicked Jim in the back of the leg. Not too hard, but hard enough for his knee to buck a little bit. He turned and glared at me. "What the hell, Meg?"

"Shut up and listen to me, Jim Hawkins!" I barked. "You are _not _a freak! There is nothing wrong with you! You can't stand there and hate yourself because other people are close-minded and judgmental. I _will not_ tolerate anyone talking about my brother like that- especially you."

Jim roughly seized me by my hurt shoulder. I pressed my lips together to keep from making a noise. "Just because you've accepted it, doesn't mean what I am is okay. If there's nothing wrong with me, why did your dad hit me? And why would my mom say what she did? Tell me that, Meg!"

Jim was close enough to me now that I could see the tears in his eyes. It broke my heart. I couldn't even imagine what he was feeling right then, but the pain in my heart was far greater than the wound he had inflicted in my shoulder. My chin trembled as my own tears threatened to escape my eyes. "I-I don't know," I choked out. "I don't know why our parents reacted the way they did, Jim; I don't. But, I _do_ know it's because there's something wrong with them, not you. If anything is going to tear this family apart, it's going to be their hatred for what they understand, not the love you have for another man."


	5. Chapter 5

**THEN: October, 3 months ago**

**JIM...**  
The next day, Meg and I didn't say much to each other on the way to school. Knowing Meg, I'm sure there was a lot she wanted to say to me, but she knew I wasn't in the mood for her to try to cheer me up. She had her mix CD on and a song by Avenged Sevenfold was blaring through the speakers. It was about a guy killing his girlfriend and then her coming back to kill him and then them killing other people together. It wasn't exactly a traditional love song, but Gaston didn't show his love for Meg in a traditional way. Meg sang along with the song as she aggressively drove to the school.

When she pulled into the parking lot, she cut someone off and stole their parking spot. She jammed the gear in park, then shut off the car. She turned to face me as she took off her seatbelt. She studied me for a moment. Finally she said, "You know I love you."

"I know."

"No matter what."

"I know, Meg."

She leaned back against her door. "And your mom loves you, too."

I rolled my eyes and reached for the door handle. "Meg, I'm not-"

"You're not in the mood to be cheered up. I know. But-"

I looked back at her. "But nothing. Let me deal with this in my own way."

Meg arched an eyebrow. "You mean by smashing your mom's car window with a tire iron?"

"It would have felt good."

"Yeah, probably. But, it wouldn't have solved anything; all it would have done was cause more trouble for you and more grief for Sarah."

I shoved the car door open. "Why should I try to make things easier for _her_?" I got out of the car. "All she and your dad are doing is making my life hell; so, why should I do anything to make life better for them?" It was a rhetorical question; one that I knew Meg would try to answer anyway, so I slammed the car door and walked away before she could say anything.

People were still staring at me and talking about me as I walked through the hallways of the school. I tried to ignore them. They didn't make it easy. Some talked loud enough to make sure I heard them; some just shoved me to the side as they walked passed. I kept my eyes forward and continued to my locker. To my relief, I didn't come into contact with the Stabbington brothers. Neither of them had ever said a word to me before yesterday. They were friends with Flynn Rider, one of Meg's friends, so our paths had crossed a couple times, but they never paid any attention to me. It was funny how one little thing could cause someone who never spoke a word to you to suddenly want to go out of their way to give you shit.

Rapunzel was waiting for me at my locker. I had mixed feelings about seeing her; on the one hand, I was glad she was still talking to me and not acting weird around me. But, on the other hand, we hadn't exactly left things on good terms yesterday morning, so it was possible she was waiting to chew me out. Rapunzel was not shy about telling you exactly what she thought; whether you wanted her opinion or not.

"Good morning, Jim!" she greeted cheerily. She stepped out of my way so I could open my locker.

"Morning."

She leaned against the locker next to mine and started playing with a strand of her hair. "I'm sorry about yesterday. I realize things must be pretty hard for you right now. Especially with what happened with your stepdad the other night. I shouldn't have gone off on you. You needed a friend and I wasn't a very good one. I mean, I tried to be. I guess I just went about the wrong way. I don't know. Either way, I'm sorry for how things played out yesterday."

"Me too." I finished loading my books into my backpack, then closed my locker.

"Were things any better with Joe last night?"

I slipped my backpack over my shoulder. "He didn't come home last night."

"That can't be good."

I shook my head. "No."

Rapunzel put her hand on my arm. "Jim, I'm sorry. I'm sure it had nothing to do with you."

I gave my friend an annoyed look. She meant well, I know she did. Still, we both knew she was wrong; so why she even tried to make me feel better with the lie, I don't know. "Of course it was my fault, Rapunzel."

She pursed her lips. "Ya know, I was thinking a lot about you and…" she paused, searching for the right word. "About you and everything that's happened and I want to help." She took a deep breath. "I have this friend; her name is Ariel and she really likes you and I was thinking maybe you could ask her to the Halloween Homecoming dance next weekend."

I gaped at her. "How the hell would that help me?"

Rapunzel started twirling her hair around her finger and avoided my eyes. "Well, I thought if you started dating a girl, then maybe everyone at school would think the Bimbette made up the rumor about you and they'd leave you alone. And then maybe your stepdad would back off and you guys could go back to being close like you were."

I don't know why, but I was suddenly furious at my friend. "So your solution to everything is for me to _pretend_ to be something other than who I am to make everyone else happy?"

Rapunzel's eyes grew wide. "No! I just-"

"What?" I snapped. "You just what, Rapunzel? You just don't like having a freak for a friend and you want me to change?"

A small gasp escaped Rapunzel's throat like I just sucker punched her in the stomach. "No! Jim's that's not it at all. I just want you to be happy again."

I advanced towards her and she backed away from me until her back hit a locker and she couldn't move away anymore. I slammed my hand against the locker next to her head and leaned close to her. "My stepdad punched me in the face and my mom can't stand to me around me. Everyone I love is treating me like shit because they're ashamed of me because in their eyes I've suddenly become an abomination. Nothing can make me happy again- least of all some girl whom I could never love."

Rapunzel cowered away from me. "Jim, I'm sorry," she whispered.

A hand fell on my shoulder. I turned around to see Jack. "Is everything all right?" Jack asked.

Rapunzel nodded and stepped away from me. "It's fine, Jack. But, I should get to class." As she hurried passed us, I thought I saw her wipe her eyes.

I sighed and leaned back against the lockers. How could I treat Rapunzel like that? She was only trying to help. What has gotten into me?

"What was that all about?" Jack asked.

"Rapunzel thinks I should date some girl so everyone at school will think the rumors are false and leave me alone and so my parents will lay off me."

"Are things that bad?"

I nodded. "They're pretty bad."

"If they're upsetting you that much, why not try taking her suggestion? What have you got to lose?"

"Because the rumors are true, Jack!" I snapped. "I don't want to pretend to be something I'm not anymore. That's why I came out in the first place."

I pushed Jack out of my way and stormed down the hall. I was seething at the slight of my friends. How could everyone turn on me at the drop of a hat? Did anyone even care about me in the first place? Honestly, I didn't know if I was more angry or hurt; but by the time I rounded the corner of the hallway, I was seeing red. I ran hard into someone and stumbled.

"Damn it," I muttered. I regained my balance just before falling to the ground. When I was fully composed I saw I had run into John Smith. Dread formed a pit in my stomach. John Smith wasn't really the most popular guy in school, but he was popular enough to have influence over everyone in our class. No doubt he'd have something to say to me, much like the Stabbington brothers.

"Are you all right?" John asked.

"I'm fine," I replied in a clipped tone.

He cleared his throat. "I'm glad I ran into you. I was actually just looking for you."

I started passed him. "Look, I'm not in the mood to put up with your shit. I'm gonna be late for class."

John reached out to stop me from walking away by putting his hand on my chest. My heart rate spiked at his touch and I quickly backed out of his reach. The last thing I needed was Mr. Popular thinking I had a crush on him. That'd give him free reign to make my life hell for the rest of the school year.

"That's not why I was looking for you," he began. "I just want to talk. Can you meet me at my locker after school? Locker 148."

I shook my head. "Why? So you and your friends can gang up on me together? Yeah, right."

John looked genuinely taken aback. "It has nothing to do with that, Jim. I swear."

The bell rang loudly through the halls. I groaned. "Great."

"Sorry I made you late. I was hoping to find you earlier," John told me.

Before I could reply, I spotted Meg over his shoulder hurrying towards me. "Jim!" she called out. She stopped when she reached us and eyed John suspiciously. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," I stated. "What do you need?"

She turned her attention to me. "I tried calling you; you didn't answer your phone. But, uh, anyway; my dad called. He's gonna be home this afternoon. He sounded pretty unhappy, so…"

I nodded in understanding. "Good to know."

Meg gave John another once over. "I hope you're not giving my brother any trouble, Smith."

"I'm not trying to," John replied.

"Good." Meg looked back at me. "We really need to get to class. We got in enough trouble for ditching yesterday; it's probably best we don't 'tempt it two days in a row." She patted my shoulder as she walked away.

I sighed in defeat. Looks like I needed an excuse not to go home after school. "All right, John; I'll meet you at your locker after school."


	6. Chapter 6

**THEN: October, 3 months ago**

**JIM…  
**"Did you get in trouble for being late to class this morning?" Meg asked, offering me a Teddy Graham from the sandwich bag she always seemed to have with her. I shook my head and she shrugged.

"He made me solve all of the equations from last night's homework on the board."

Meg wrinkled her nose. "Bummer."

I nodded as I opened my locker. "I didn't even do last night's homework."

"Suddenly you're too cool for school?" Meg teased, tossing a Teddy Graham in the air. I reached out and snatched it right before it landed in her mouth. She stuck her tongue out at me.

I popped the cookie in my mouth. "I had a lot on my mind."

"I get it." She nudged the wall with the toe of her wedge boot. "So, what's your plan for this afternoon?"

"Actually," I closed my locker, "John asked me to meet him at his locker."

"John," she repeated. "John Smith?"

"Yeah."

"When?"

"Now."

Meg crinkled her eyebrow. "What for?"

I shrugged. "He said he wanted to talk to me."

"Is that why you guys were together this morning? I thought he was harassing you."

"He wasn't then. But, I have no idea what he could possibly want to talk to me about. So, I don't know what I'm about to walk into."

"But, you're curious."

"Yeah."

Meg shoved her now empty sandwich bag back in her backpack, dumping some crumbs on the floor in the process. "Maybe I should go with you."

I shot her a wary look. "I don't need you to be my bodyguard, Meg."

"Not as your bodyguard; just backup. John and I aren't exactly friends, but we do have a couple of mutual friends. Maybe if I'm with you, he'll leave you alone."

"I'll be fine. I'll see you when I get home tonight." I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before heading towards John's locker.

The closer I got to John's locker, the faster my heart started beating. It was pure curiosity that drove me to actually meet up with him, but a large part of me knew I was walking into some sort of trap. And, truth be told, part of me was hoping I was. With everything that had happened in the last two days, I had a lot of pent-up frustration and anger and maybe a fight was exactly what I needed to release all of that. Fighting in school was grounds for Saturday detention, but it'd be worth it. Welcomed, even. If I was in detention, I wouldn't have to be home with my mom and Joe all day.

By the time I reached locker 148, I was pumped and ready for a fight. Admittedly, I was a little disappointed when I saw John alone at his locker. Still, that didn't mean he wasn't going to jump me alone. It'd be a good fight. There had been quite a few afternoons when I'd be leaving detention and I'd see John in the weight room or running around the track; so I knew he must be strong and well-built. I never went to the gym and or worked-out, but growing up I'd rough house with Sinbad and wrestle and get into fights with him and he was almost twice my size; I could handle myself in a fight.

John gave me a quick nod in greeting, but didn't say anything. He motioned for me to follow him. He led me down the hall to the small wrestling gym. Wrestling season didn't start until January, so there was no one using the gym. There was one dim light on in the far corner, but the rest of the gym was relatively dark. Stacks of mats lined one wall and bleachers lined the other, but other than that the gym was empty. John dropped his backpack on the floor next to the bleachers, then sat down. I sat down next to him, but left about two feet of space between us.

"What are we doing here?" I asked, looking around for any of John's friends that might be lurking in the shadows.

"I wanted to talk to you in private."

"About what?"

John fixed his eyes on me. I knew they were blue, but in the dark they looked black. "Are the rumors about you true?"

The seriousness of his tone when he asked the loaded question made his eyes seem more menacing. "Yes," I replied, slightly hesitant. In hindsight, I probably should have verified what he was talking about in case I agreed to some other rumor going around about that I wasn't aware of. I could have been admitting to sleeping with his girlfriend or something. But, there was something about the way he was looking at me that told me this was definitely about me being gay.

John looked away from me and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "I'm gay, too," he choked out.

I recoiled back in shock. "What?"

John ran his hands through his hair and leaned back; still avoiding making eye contact. "Please don't make me say it again."

I studied him, looking for a sign that this was some sort of joke or prank. But when he finally looked at me and our eyes locked, I knew he was telling the truth. I recognized the torn look in his eyes; the relief of finally letting the secret out, mixed with the fear of what was going to happen next.

"Why are you telling me this?" I finally asked.

"I've been harboring this secret inside me for years," he explained, clutching his chest. "I needed to get this off my chest. I can't come out to my parents or my friends and talking to one of my mom's church groups is out of the question. But, I had to tell someone; keeping this in has been driving me crazy. So, when I heard the rumors about you, I thought maybe you were the only one I could actually talk to."

It wasn't until he stopped talking that I realized I had been staring at him the whole time. I blinked and shook my head. "We don't even know each other."

"I know. But, I thought maybe it didn't matter; I had a feeling you'd be going through the same thing I am and it would help both of us to have someone to talk to who actually understands."

It did sound good. Meg was really trying hard with all of this, but she didn't fully get it. John did, though. Having someone like me to talk to when things got rough would be a relief.

John was watching me expectantly. I slowly nodded. "You can come to me any time."

"You, too, Jim. But, please don't tell anyone about me."

"I won't."


End file.
